Synopsis
Dolly! was a television variety show that aired during the 1976-1977 season and featured Dolly Parton.
In the mid-1970s, Parton was approached by Bill Graham, president of Show Biz, Inc., the same company that produced The Porter Wagoner Show, and soon afterward the syndicated variety show Dolly was born.
The show boasted a budget of $85,000 per episode, an impressive sum at the time for a syndicated show. A variety of Nashville and Hollywood stars were scheduled to appear, including Karen Black, Tom T. Hall, Emmylou Harris, The Hues Corporation, Captain Kangaroo, Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr., Ronnie Milsap, Anne Murray, Kenny Rogers, Linda Ronstadt, KC & The Sunshine Band, and Anson Williams. According to her 1978 biography, Dolly by Alanna Nash, Parton spoke to Bob Dylan and he initially agreed to do the show, but eventually bowed out due to his discomfort with the television medium at the time.
Despite the work that went into the show and the diverse collection of guests, Parton was said to have been less than pleased with the end product, as she found herself singing standards like "My Funny Valentine", and interacting with guests with whom she had little in common. She told Nash during a 1977 interview for the biography Dolly
